John Moreland, a poem by Kerrie O’Brien about The Irish Yeast Company owner

This is my tribute to a true Dublin character who shared his time with me graciously and brought so much happiness to his city

John Moreland, proprietor of The Irish Yeast Company shop on College Street in Dublin, who died last year. Photograph: Frank Miller

Kerrie O'Brien

Wed May 02 2018 - 12:30

For a long time I had wanted to call in to The Irish Yeast Company on 6 College Street, Dublin. For years I had walked passed the curious window display with its handwritten sign which declared “Cake decorations and equipment for special cakes. For all occasions. All items available at the keenest prices.” One bright January afternoon in 2016 I saw the door was open and I had two precious hours with John Moreland.

As many will remember, entering the shop felt like stepping back in time. John was in his early nineties then and the last remaining member of what, for many decades, had been a thriving family business. As he had spent his life living above the shop, he had witnessed almost a century of Dublin history and his memory was sharp and vivid. Among other things he told me about the Wurlitzer organ in the now long demolished Theatre Royal, the devastating Pearse Street fire of 1936, the noise of the explosion that destroyed Nelson’s Pillar and he lamented how much time young people spend in pubs these days. After a while a woman came in with a wedding cake order, I said goodbye and promised that I would write a poem about him.

Many evenings you could see a light on through the net curtains upstairs. I tried to call on him again unsuccessfully and the Barber’s Room next door told me he was ill and that the shop would be closed for a while. Recently I learned of his death briefly mentioned in an article discussing the sale of the building. I started looking online to find out funeral arrangements and eventually the same barbers told me that he had in fact died on July 18th, 2017. People often call in still asking about him. I was always sure that I would hear of his death in the media but some lives end quietly. He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. I’m so glad I called in that day. This is my tribute to a true Dublin character who shared his time with me graciously and brought so much happiness to his city.